How Can I Practice Boxing Without a Heavy Bag?

Updated: September 3, 2018 by James

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There is no question that boxing is one of the best ways to develop your body. However, a lot of people think, among my friends, it is impossible to practice without a heavy bag or speed bag. But, it is not true since you can do shadow boxing at home and many other exercises that do not require any equipment at all.

You may say that it is not the same as hitting a punching bag, but believe me, if you learn how to do this type of workout correctly and intensively it is an excellent way to burn fat, develop your endurance and skills. Shadow boxing is done by the professionals as well to improve their technique. Do you need more proof than that?

Starting boxing training at home for beginners without equipment

Well, first you will need a space where you can practice. Keep in mind that this type of workout is not about being in the same position and just punching in the air. You have to imitate as if you were fighting with a real opponent. Hence, you should practice the footwork. For that, you will obviously need space.

It is not bad if you have a large mirror on the wall since it is easier to imagine a real opponent. Plus, you can check yourself how you move, throw the punches and practice the defense skills. By seeing your mistakes, you can correct yourself.

If you are a total beginner, you should learn the basic punches, footwork and defense techniques. Start with single punches and practice them until you can throw them with correctly. Then, you can start hitting easy combos such as jab cross, jab-jab, etc. If you are new to this type of workout, be patient, and practice. The more you practice, the more naturally you will throw those punches and combinations.

Meanwhile, spend time with practicing the footwork and defense techniques such as blocking, parrying, rolling and slipping. Truly, it would be better to start with footwork and do not throw any punches, until you are good at your legs. But since punching is the exciting part of this training, just do it to be motivated.

The next step is to decide how many rounds you would like to do and the length of the rounds. That depends on your fitness level, and the best is if you use a timer. If you are a beginner, you can do 3-5 rounds that are 1-2 minutes long and have 1-2 minutes rest between. Of course, as you get better, you should increase the number of rounds and the length up to 3 minutes, and shorten the rest between the rounds.

Keep in mind the intensity is important as well especially if you want to burn calories, but pay attention to perform the punches correctly, not letting your hands down, footwork, etc. Also, do not start like a mad and then just huff and puff.

From the following video you can learn the most common shadow boxing mistakes, so you will learn what to avoid.

An Application That Is Perfect for Home Training

I’ve already given an overview of my favorite boxing application called Precision Boxing Coach. This app is ideal for practicing shadow boxing for everyone. You can set the number of rounds, time, speed, your level, and many others. The punches and combos are called out by the standard numbers, and defense moves are also added.

The developer of the application also has a very useful Youtube channel that helps a lot to learn boxing at home.

A Killer Shadow Boxing Workout without Equipment

What could be a better example than watching a real boxer while he is practicing? From the following video, you can learn a lot boxing moves to do at home even though it is not made for beginners. Watch it several times and imitate what he does.

Others ways to have basic boxing training at home?

Well, you can practice the traditional exercises that are done by fighters. Bodyweight exercises such as burpees, push ups, squat, pull up, sit ups, walking lunges, etc. And we should not forget running, jump roping and plyometric exercises as well. Do not underestimate the efficiency of bodyweight training. It can help you a lot to develop your strength and endurance, things that are crucial for boxing.

Finally, if you have somebody to train with you can practice together. Of course, not hitting each other just imitate what is going on in the ring. If you have gloves and head and mouth protectors, you can spare, but it is not recommended without the instructions of a coach.

Conclusion

I think, you know have ideas about boxing drills to do at home. Until you do not get a punching bag, there are so many things you can do. And once you get one, you will be able to use it more efficiently since you will already have a routine.

Do you know other activities to do without a heavy bag? Share with us below.

2 thoughts

This is an amazing article for beginners like myself, I literally didn’t even start boxing training yet just cardio and weight training, I skip the odd time with a weighted rope, but I don’t have a bag yet, so I’m going to focus more on my bodyweight workouts for weight loss and endurance, also start with footwork, shadow boxing with basic punches (jabs, hooks, cross punches) mixed up in no order,

3 – 1 minute rounds with 1 minute rests for the first weeks then up to 3 – 2 minute rounds with 1 minute rests and keep going until it’s down to 3 maby 4 – 3 minute rounds with 30 second rest in between.

But as anyone will say all this has to go along with diet and regular exercise to workout and be able to build on your training.

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